For the next segment of our drive we had the tempting option to go through Switzerland, but were invited by the owners of the Joue du Loup ski condo to visit them in Lyon. We got some gorgeous scenery on the way, and an equally beautiful long French lunch on their patio when we arrived.
They took us on a walking tour of Lyon, which hadn’t been on our agenda but was definitely worth a stop. It’s the culinary capital of France, known as a foodie city, and filled with history from the Roman theater and the old town founded by the Gauls, through the 19th Century Basailica of Notre Dame de Fourvière and monuments to resistance during the revolution.
It is situated at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, filling the peninsula between them and surrounding area. We took a funicular up the hill to see the Basilica, old Roman Theater, and view of the city below.
Arriving in Les Premiers-Sapins
We arrived at our next home late at night and didn’t get out to explore much on the first day. Les Premiers-Sapins is another collection of tiny communes with very few services, including groceries. Nathan worked days while my friend and I took outings and I worked nights while the West Coast was awake. Our first hike was a small climb with views over the Loue valley, subject of many Gustave Courbet paintings. Then we toured the nearby Grotto de Glaciers, a cave with barely visible sea life and dinosaur fossils.
The other was a short stroll past several waterfalls and a monastery that sold its own juices and sorbets.
We got to take a couple of city breaks. The first was Besançon, capital of the Franche-Comté region which covers our village. It had a cool citadel, roman old town, and UNESCO listed fortifications.
The other was Lausanne Switzerland, on the north shore of Lake Geneva. We enjoyed the scenic views, quaint architecture, animated clock (see my Facebook for video) Cameroonian street food, Swiss chocolate ice cream. It was a scorcher, though, so the real highlight was jumping in that lake at the end of the day!
Finally it was time to make the last leg of our drive, returning our car at Orly airport in Paris. On the way we made one last pretty little lunch stop in Auxerre. Now for some real city life!
